New Zealand’s Ally Wollaston, Bryony Botha, Emily Shearman and Nicole Shields compete during the women’s Team Pursuit qualifying round at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris(Image credit: Getty Images)
Italy line up to start the women’s Team Pursuit qualifying round at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris(Image credit: Getty Images)
Germany in the women’s Team Pursuit qualifying round at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris(Image credit: Getty Images)
USA in the women’s Team Pursuit qualifying round at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris(Image credit: Getty Images)
Japan in the women’s Team Pursuit qualifying round at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris(Image credit: Getty Images)
New Zealand post fastest qualifying time
New Zealand wowed at the Paris Olympics velodrome, setting the fastest time in the women’s team pursuit qualifying round on Tuesday.
Bryony Botha, Emily Shearman, Nicole Shields, and Ally Wollaston pushed close to the existing world record set by Germany in the Tokyo Olympics, setting a time of 4:04.679, 0.437 shy of breaking that mark to move onto the first round of competition.
With new road race Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner a new addition to Team USA’s women’s team pursuit squad, their quartet with Tokyo Olympic bronze medalists Chloé Dygert, Jen Valente and Lily Williams powered to the second-fastest time, 4:05.238.
Despite missing Katie Archibald, who suffered a broken leg in a freak accident in June, Elinor Barker, Josie Knight, Anna Morris and Jessica Roberts finished solidly in third with a time of 4:06.710.
The Italian team with Chiara Consonni, Martina Fidanza, Vittoria Guazzini, Letizia Paternoster slipped into fourth in the rankings ahead of defending champions Germany with a 4:07.579 to move on to face the Germans in the first round on Wednesday.
Still building their momentum after Lisa Brennauer retired after the Tokyo Games, Franziska Brausse, Lisa Klein, Mieke Kröger and Laura Süßemilch moved on to the next round along with the teams from Australia, France and Canada.
